Minnesota Twins Prospect Yorman Landa Remembered by Friends, Teammates

Twins’ Pitching Prospect, Yorman Landa, Killed in Car Accident

Details from the early morning automobile crash that killed Yorman Landa have described Landa as a passenger in a vehicle that struck a fallen tree, or was struck by a falling tree, on a rain-slicked road outside of Caracas, Venezuela.

Landa, signed by the Twins as a 16-year old, was recently dropped from the 40 man roster, then signed to a contract just before the Rule 5 Draft. He was relieved that he wasn’t selected during the draft – hoping to remain with the Twins.

One of the few Twins prospects who touched triple digits with his fastball, Landa typically threw in the upper 90’s. In his six-year career in the Twins’ minor leagues, Landa made exactly 100 appearances (23 starts), with the Twins using him strictly as a reliever since the beginning of the 2014 season.

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Landa averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, and allowed only four home runs total in his six seasons – spanning 223 innings.

He was most recently named the #23 prospect in the Twins farm system by Baseball America.

After being dropped by the Twins, he was re-signed to a raise, with also an invitation to the Twins’ major league Spring Training next February. The career 2.66 ERA pitcher was definitely in Minnesota’s future plans.

The 22-year old Venezuelan was one of five people riding in a car driven by his father early in the morning on December 10th. He was the only person killed in the crash.

He is survived by his family from Santa Teresa, Venezuela, and his long-time girlfriend, Franyele, as well as his friends, coaches, and teammates throughout the Twins minor leagues:

Yorman Landa had overcome surgery from a torn labrum in the 2014 season to pitch for the Ft. Myers Miracle in this past season’s Florida State League All-Star Game. During the game, Landa impressed scouts with his fastball that touched 102 mph.

Next: Twins Trade Top Pick in Rule 5 Draft

Notes/Rumors: Dodgers re-signed Rich Hill, Justin Turner, and Kenley Jansen. With those contracts, they will currently pay more in luxury tax ($33 M) than the Padres will in total salary ($31 M) for players on their team. Even so, they remain interested in Minnesota’s Brian Dozier, though another Major League contract (Yasiel Puig?) would likely need to be included in return.